Ruth 1:6-8, 22 | Rev. Dr. R. Brandon Harris | The decision faced by Orpah and Ruth early in the story is whether they will be a family. Families don't just happen. They come from a radical fidelity in which you see yourself in another person. Ruth proves that the secret to any successful relationship is to invest yourself wholly in another, to demand nothing but to give everything. "Your people shall be my people, and your God my God" (1:16).

Ruth's determination not only allows there to be a family, but also lays a foundation for redemption and wholeness for both her and Naomi. (See also 2 Cor 5:17).